An Unexpected Love
by CassandraKitti
Summary: Hermione keeps getting letters from an almost anonymous friend. Will she find out who is sending these letters? HGDM rated M for later chapters
1. Little birdies

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, or anything related to the books. I just like writing about them :)

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Hermione sat at her desk reviewing work for the upcoming year. The warm August sun beat in through her window making the old room seem peaceful and serene. She loved the summer because she could leave her window open, feel the warmth of the sun, smell the fresh air, and hear the birds singing their lovely songs. It made it very hard for Hermione to keep her attention on her studies. She would have sat for hours daydreaming if it hadn't been for the owl flying through the window.

Her summer had been consumed by random visits by two unfamiliar owls bringing her short letters from an almost completely anonymous friend. Hermione was always intrigued by the mysterious letters and even came to look forward to the visits from her new owl friends. The first owl was a beautiful snow owl who wore a black velvet ribbon around her neck with a charm made of white gold on it. The charm had the name "Artemis" engraved in the gold. Hermione always admired this owl. She was so beautiful and had sort of an air of mystery about her. The second owl, who was the owl delivering today's letter, was darker in color and wore a pale green velvet ribbon with the same white gold charm. Only this owls charm had the name "Charlemagne" engraved into the gold. Hermione had begun to favor Artemis over Charlemagne. He seemed rougher and more dangerous, but most of all, his collar reminded her of Slytherin.

Each time a letter was delivered; Hermione would fall into a certain routine for reading it. First she would hand the messenger an owl treat that she kept for her messages from Harry and Ron. Then she would carefully take the letter from the bird and examine it.

The letters were always short, one or two lines long. Always addressed to Hermione which made her sure they weren't delivered to the wrong place, and always signed with a single letter, D.

Today's letter was somewhat of an invitation, it read:

_Hermione,_

_Since another year at Hogwarts will be beginning shortly I would like to meet with you. We never seemed to find ways to make this work in the past, but I would like very much if we could this year. Please don't let me down another year._

_D._

Hermione read this letter carefully. Not only was this the first summer she had been receiving letters from her anonymous friend, but she always kept her plans to meet with someone. So if this person had tried to meet with her in the past she almost certainly would have met with them.

Next on her routine for these letters was to reply. She was always just as polite as the sender was with his but each of her letters ended with the same thing. But "D" continued ignoring her pleas for answers.

_D,_

_I would like to meet with you as well, but I am afraid your letter was slightly confusing. You see if we had made plans to get together in the past I would have kept those plans. So I do not understand why you say I'm letting you down when we haven't actually made plans to meet before. I'm sorry if I sound a bit testy but your letters are starting to confuse me. Not to be rude or anything but I'm not sure you even know me._

_Hermione_

_P.S. Who are you?_

The question at the end of her letter was merely a force of habit by now. She did not even care to ask anymore since she knew they would be meeting in a few weeks back at Hogwarts anyway. She gave Charlemagne another treat before sending him off with her letter.

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A/N: This is my first fic. I can take criticism. I know it's short, sorry. The next chapters will hopefully be longer :)


	2. Back to School

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter :)

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The last few weeks of Hermione's summer went by uneventfully, with the exception of a few more letters from "D". She began looking forward more and more to the next year at Hogwarts. She always loved going back to school but this year she seemed to have a secret admirer, which would make things even more interesting. Plus she was Head Girl. She examined the head badge she had received over and over again. If only she knew who was Head Boy. But she didn't seem to mind being kept in the dark about that, she really wanted to know who D was and why he liked her so much.

One letter in particular stood out in her mind. It was her favorite letter of all so she carried it with her and read it every chance she got.

_But I would like to._

_D._

It was in response to her letter, when she said he didn't even know her. This simple one line letter was wearing on her heart so much that she just couldn't wait to meet its author.

September 1st, time to return to Hogwarts.

Hermione arrived on platform 9 ¾ just in time to see Ron run through and crash right into Harry, sending he and his things toppling to the ground. Ginny came through after Ron and carefully avoided the pileup.

"Hermione!" Ginny called, being the first to notice her standing there.

Hermione rushed up to the three of them and helped Ginny get the boys back on their feet. They exchanged hugs and exasperated greetings and they each marveled at how their friends had changed over the summer.

Ron and Harry, as expected, had both become more handsome than last year. Both received stares from some of the girls boarding the trains. While Ginny and Hermione had both become more womanly, filling out in the chest area and gaining alluring curves that even the Hogwarts robes couldn't hide. Hermione's hair had grown tamer over the summer and was now more like soft curls than the frizzy mess of her past.

They boarded the train and entered their compartment. Hermione still had a while before she had to meet Professor Dumbledore and the Head Boy.

"So you're sure you don't know who it is?" She asked the other three.

"Nah 'Mione, we haven't heard anything." Ginny answered for them, the boys were too busy with their chocolate frogs and the other treats they got from the trolley.

"Oh! I almost forgot, I wanted to tell you about these…" Hermione started but was cut short when she glanced at her watch as she was reaching for the letter from "D". "…Oh sorry Ginny, I have to go to the meeting now, we'll finish this later okay?" Ginny agreed, and they all bid their farewells to their friend who rushed out of the compartment to the Heads chamber.

"Good afternoon Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy." Professor Dumbledore greeted the two students with his usual grin on his face.

"No way… Malfoy can't be Head Boy!" Hermione's mind screamed at her. How was she ever going to spend the whole year with him?

Draco just sat there with his irritating smirk on his face staring as the dumbfounded girl sat down on the same bench as him, only as far away from him as possible.

"Why is he staring at me? I wish he'd stop that smirking. Merlin he's so agitating…" Thoughts were running wild through Hermione's brain all through Dumbledore's speech. By the time she finally tore herself away from the fact that Malfoy was Head boy, Dumbledore was asking them if they understood everything he was saying. They both agreed and the professor got up to leave their compartment, but before leaving he turned around and added one last thing.

"Oh and I'd like it if the two of you would stay in this compartment for the remainder of the trip. It won't be too long; I know you've had your disagreements." And with a twinkle in his eye he left the compartment.

"Great. Just great, I'm stuck with **you** for the whole year." Hermione grumbled.

"Oh come on Granger, it can't be that bad can it?" Draco replied with his same stupid smirk plastered on his face. "Besides, you'll be in the library the whole time anyway, like you are every other year. It's not like you'll actually have to spend time with me."

"For your information I happen to like the library because it's the only place where I can truly relax. Not that you care anyway."

"Whatever Granger." Draco replied and nonchalantly turned away from Hermione.

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A/N: hehe another chapter! yeah I didn't expect to have more than one up in one night but hey that's good right! Once again this is my first fic, hope it's good. :)


	3. Train Ride

Disclaimer: I most certainly do not own Harry Potter or anything/one directly related to him as far as the story goes. But it would make my life happier if i did :)

The trip seemed to be taking forever, and the silence was so unbearable Hermione could barely stand it. "He could at least talk to me… I'd even take insults over this silence." She leaned against the window of the compartment and soon fell asleep.

Hermione found herself at Hogwarts but she was in a hallway she'd never seen before. She was afraid, very afraid, and she was running from something. Running fast. The hallway began to seem damp and dungeon like. The moss covered walls were dripping with little streams of what one could only assume was water. She kept running. Suddenly she came upon a dead end. She whipped around and stared into the darkness in the direction she'd come. Her hunter was behind her and she had nowhere to go. The walls of the slimy hall began to melt to the ground. Hermione just stood there amazed as she found herself in the middle of the Quidditch field. She felt frightened but still had nowhere to go. It was like she was rooted to that very spot. She heard a noise behind her and spun around but there was nothing there. It happened again, and again and again, and suddenly she was being pulled and pushed in all directions but the only way she could go was down. She landed on the ground hard and tried to cry out but something was stuck inside her throat choking her. She could barely breathe. Her whole body was in pain. What was going on? She couldn't see anything. She opened her eyes and saw everyone, the faces of her friends, and enemies. They were the Quidditch players, she could see them clearly now and she once again tried to shout for help from Harry and Ron but once again the sound was stifled by whatever was choking her. She pressed her eyes shut as if that would make everything go away, but the pain only grew and the choking didn't cease. A voice was singing in the back of her mind, a deep voice. The sound started low but grew with time.

"Misery you insist that the weight of the world should be on your shoulders. Misery, there's much more to life than what you see here, my friend of Misery."

The words played themselves over and over again in her mind but didn't stop what was happening to her. She slowly began realizing what was going on. How could they? Then a familiar voice cut through and everything stopped. The voice was yelling but she couldn't make out what it was trying to say. Slowly the pain stopped and she could breathe again. She screamed, finally she could scream for help, but it was too late. The voice grew clearer and clearer.

"Are you ok? Granger!"

Hermione woke up to find Draco leaning over her with a look on his face she could only read as confusion, and genuine sympathy. She opened her mouth to talk but once again felt the words fade as she felt the choking again. A look of terror came upon her face as she gasped for air frantically. Draco saw what was happening and pulled her away from the window unfastening the top button of the shirt that had turned itself the wrong way around her neck and began to choke her. Hermione breathed deeply and collapsed into Draco's arms.

She awoke suddenly to Madame Pomfrey fussing over her. The woman was making noises that Hermione could only assume were words, but she didn't care to listen. She was too tired. She turned her head and was about to close her eyes when she saw a figure in the chair next to her bed. She tuned in Madame Pomfrey's words to hear her explain that Draco had brought Hermione off of the train and straight to her. He had stayed there to make sure she didn't get any worse.

"Wh… what happened to me?" Hermione inquired weakly.

"He says you had a nightmare on the train and fainted, though he is Draco Malfoy, I wouldn't put it past him if he did it to you himself."

"But, why is he still here?"

"Who knows? Maybe he just felt like doing the right thing for once. At any rate you've only been here for about two hours and you seem to be feeling better now so I'll let you go. You might want to wake him up."

Hermione thought to herself for a moment about leaving him there, but her conscience got the better of her and she decided not to. She reached over and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. He shifted in his seat but didn't wake up, so she tried to shake him. A look of terror and confusion fell over him when he opened his eyes and almost flew backwards out of his chair.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing!"

"Waking you up. I should have left you asleep though, and I would have if I'd known you were going to be a prat about it." Hermione replied exasperated.

"I see you're feeling better then. Thanks for making me miss the feast Granger."

"I didn't MAKE you miss anything Malfoy, you stayed here on your own."

She saw his eyes flash with a look that in anyone else she would have thought was hurt, but it was gone so quickly she dismissed it.

"Well come on then Granger… Dumbledore said to meet with him when you were better."

Draco hurriedly stood up and moved to the door, with Hermione walking a safe distance behind him.

Their second meeting with Professor Dumbledore of the year went quickly. It was mostly a re-cap of the rules they were to follow and their duties as Head Boy and Girl. Hermione took the time to listen to him this time though. After he was done speaking with the two of them, Dumbledore said it was time to show them to their rooms for the year. The three of them walked for a while until they came to the portrait that would open for them.

"As we've done for years in the past, Hogwarts will allow you to choose your own password for this portrait," Dumbledore said to the two students. "Do you have any ideas?"

"How about misery," Hermione muttered under her breath.

"Actually, I think I might like that Granger. Misery it is professor."

The playful look in his eye left for only a second before Dumbledore turned to the portrait, and said the word "misery." The portrait swung open to reveal their common room, which seemed a bit lavishly decorated for a dormitory.

"Your belongings have been brought to your rooms already; I expect you'll be comfortable shortly." And with that the old professor left his students to get adjusted to their new surroundings.

A/N: sorry sorry sorry it took so long for this chapter... finals, death in the family, writers block, and having my computer taken from me for use in my sisters senior project are all excuses for it not being done until now. I tried to make it longer than the first two chapters were... and I'll try to make the next chapter even longer. And hopefully there won't be too many things keeping me from writing. :)


	4. Living Arrangements

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to Harry Potter...

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Hermione glared at Draco before entering their new common room. How was she going to deal with him for the whole year? He just shrugged and made his way up to his room. She glanced quickly around the common room to get an idea of her surroundings and proceeded to make her way towards the stairs leading up to their rooms, noting only the small library nook in the corner underneath of them. As she stared at the rows of books below the stairs she clumsily tripped on something. When she looked to see what it was she had tripped on she saw a dark green ottoman with silver trim. How she hated those colors… She kicked the object out of her way and saw a flicker of red out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see a large, lit fireplace with a curiously barren mantle. Above the fireplace was a very large mirror hanging on the wall, in a frame that from a distance looked like silver and gold streaks, but upon closer inspection revealed silver feathers intertwined with golden snakes. The mirror was actually a large blank piece of silver, one that looked like it should have an etching in it. The whole side of the room was starting to give Hermione a headache so she decided to make her way upstairs.

At the top of the steps Hermione was met with a wall with three doors in it, and another door on one of the side walls. Two of the rooms on the back wall had the house emblems on them, the bedrooms. The room in the middle was unmarked so Hermione paid no attention to it. The room on the side wall was marked "Room of Requirement."

Hermione decided to take a quick glance into her room before curiosity got the better of her and she would return to the unmarked door. She was surprised to find that the colors used to decorate the room were not the usual Gryffindor red and gold, but instead a deep burgundy and very light cream. "They're much nicer together," she thought as she left the room. The unmarked door led into the largest and most lavishly decorated bathroom Hermione had ever seen, with marble everywhere and a circular tub big enough to fit several people at a time. Columns and statues made the room look like an ancient Roman bath house. This would definitely be a room she'd return to frequently. Just then she heard a voice coming from the common room.

"What the bloody hell is this!"

She ran to the door and looked down into the common room. Draco was standing in front of the fireplace staring at the silver wall hanging.

"What do you think it is Malfoy?" she asked with disgust.

"First of all the snakes should be silver _not_ the feathers and secondly…" she rolled her eyes as he continued to critique the obviously planned piece of metal hanging above him and returned to the room marked with the Gryffindor emblem to get her towel and bath supplies.

Hermione let her body sink slowly into the hot water in the gigantic bathtub. She didn't realize that her body ached so much until the water began to relieve the pain. She leaned her head back onto the edge of the tub and closed her eyes. Before long she began to hum, and soon the humming changed to singing.

"_Misery, you insist that the weight of the world should be on your shoulders. Misery, there's much more to life than what you see here, my friend of misery."_

Hermione's voice made those words sound much sweeter than they had in her dream. She didn't want to think about the dream she'd had or anything to do with it, but she couldn't get those words to stop playing in her head. By now the water had relaxed her enough to let her voice her torturous melody, but she still wanted to get rid of the tune. She slipped under the water and stayed there for as long as she could hold her breath. This seemed to work for a short time. She finished washing and decided it was time to leave the beautiful bathroom and find something else to do. She wrapped herself in her big fluffy towel and went back to her room to change.

As the door of the Gryffindor bedroom opened, a voice called from the common room.

"Well, well, well. I certainly wouldn't have expected Granger to listen to Metallica," The platinum haired Slytherin pointed out lazily.

"What on Earth are you on about now Malfoy? Haven't you got better things to do than bother me?"

"No as a matter of fact I don't," Draco snorted, "and I thought that you would at least know the name of the band whose song you were singing loud enough for the entire school to hear."

Hermione's face began to flush. Was she really singing _that_ loud?

"I have no idea what you're talking about," was all she could think to say.

Draco was obviously getting bored with this little game. For someone who was oh-so good at everything she sure couldn't put 2 and 2 together in a conversational sense very well.

"You were singing a song in the bathroom. That song was called "Misery." The name of the band is Metallica. Got it?" He rolled his eyes at the thought of having to explain something so simple to miss know-it-all.

"Aren't they a muggle band?" Hermione asked annoyingly.

"Yes, Granger, but nobody ever said I wasn't allowed to listen to muggle bands. And anyway, if you didn't know the song you were singing, then why were you singing it?" That stupid smirk was plastered on his face again.

"I don't need to justify anything with you." She was just getting more and more irritated with the ferret boy every time he opened his mouth. She looked down at her watch; it was time for dinner, so she made her way to the great hall.

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"But I would like to?" Ginny read confusedly, "What in the name of Merlin does that mean?"

"It's my favorite letter Ginny," Hermione explained, "the letter I sent before it said 'You don't even know me' and this was what I received in return."

"Who are these letters from?" Harry inquired.

"I don't know Harry; they were all signed 'D'."

"Ow ah oo gunnn meed schumwah…" Ron began, fighting not to spit food all over the table.

"Ron please don't talk with your mouth full." Hermione scolded.

"I think he's trying to say, how are you going to meet someone if you don't know who they are?" Ron nodded wildly at Harry's interpretation of his half-chewed question.

"I don't know… I guess I'll just have to wait till I get a clue or something."

_Yeah that's right Hermione, you NEED a clue._ A voice in the back of her mind kept nagging at her, for what, she couldn't even begin to guess.

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A/N: Sorry it took so long, I couldn't figure out how to end this chapter and it just kept dragging on and on. Plus when I was gonna put it up the first time it really sucked, thank goodness someone read it and helped me fix the rambling discriptions of the rooms ; P. Please review pouts


	5. Confusion begins

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

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_She screamed and cried louder to drown out the sound of those words playing over and over again in the back of her mind, but with each scream her voice became more and more muffled. That thing was there, choking her, pressing harder into the back of her throat. She gagged and tried to spit the thing out but it wouldn't go. Then the pain came, not from her throat but from somewhere else, from everywhere else. She knew it was too late, she knew what was happening and she begged in her mind for it to stop but no one was listening. Why would they do this to her? Weren't they her friends? Why wouldn't anyone stop them…?_

The knocking came clearer than ever, shaking Hermione away from her nightmare, but what was it coming from? Trembling and disoriented the girl sat up and scanned her room for any signs of something out of place but there was nothing. Then the knocking came again. Where was it coming from? Again Hermione looked around the room, again finding nothing. Finally she glanced towards the window. Her gaze was met with a pair of glowing eyes and a glint of something metallic just outside her room. Charlemagne. The excitement of news from "D" was enough to make her forget about the horrible dream. Frantically she opened the window and let in the bird, handing it a treat and taking the letter from it.

Hermione,

I can't seem to find a good time to meet with you, but it would probably be best if we waited anyway. I don't want to ruin the surprise this quickly.

D.

What on Earth did that mean? A chill suddenly ran down Hermione's back as she read the letter over again. It was so different in tone than the others were.

D,

I don't know what you mean. Why do you keep asking to meet me if you don't actually want to? I'm sorry if I've done something to offend you. Please tell me who you are.

Hermione

She didn't know how writing this letter would help. She was starting to have mixed feelings about meeting this "D" person anyway. That letter was a little frightening. She watched the owl as it flew away with her letter, hoping it would fly in a recognizable direction so she could at least find out what house this person was from. The bird just flew out away from the school and landed in the forest. It must've been told not to fly straight home. This night was becoming crazier and crazier with each passing moment.

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Morning came with more ease after Hermione got back to sleep. The rest of her night had been dreamless and uninterrupted. She glanced over at her clock and noticed she still had a long time before breakfast so she decided to take another soak in the beautiful bathtub.

She approached the door to the bathroom and heard the water already running. Not having the desire to see Malfoy in the nude, she knocked cautiously.

"It's alright Granger I've got clothes on." The voice came mockingly out of the room, echoing eerily over the water sounds.

She slowly opened the door and saw the Slytherin boy standing in front of the mirror on his side of the room, no doubt admiring his own countenance. He was wearing shorts but no shirt, which wasn't so bad considering his chest was nicely toned, most likely from all that Quidditch he played.

"Are you going to stand there gawking all day?"

Hermione shook her eyes off of the boy who was now facing her and had come closer without her realizing it.

"Why did you let me in?" She asked, a little shocked by the whole situation.

Draco shrugged. "You live here too." Before Hermione could reply he then added, "You had that dream again didn't you?"

The look of shock and terror on her face must have been enough for the boy to realize he needed to explain himself.

"I heard you screaming all night long. I actually came over once to check on you but then I heard you moving and I figured you were fine."

The look on her face changed to confusion when she saw that flash of sincerity in his eyes, but it was gone as quickly and unexpectedly as it had come.

"Don't get me wrong Granger, it's not like I care, I'd just like the chance to sleep myself." That annoying Malfoy smirk plastered on his face once again he stepped into the tub with his shorts still on and stretched out in what could only be described as the cockiest position Hermione had ever seen. She turned to leave the room when she heard him mumble something and saw her door fly open letting her swimsuit float in and fall at her feet. "Are you going to join me or not?" As if this day could get any stranger. Hermione stormed out of the bathroom only to return a few moments later wearing the modest brown one piece and muttering something under her breath.

"I'm not going to touch you Granger just relax. I figured you could use some company." Again there was a touch of warmth in his voice and something different in his eyes. What was going on? He'd tortured her since her first day at Hogwarts and now all of a sudden he was offering his company? He must have something planned. She stepped into the warm water on the opposite side of the tub and instantly felt much more relaxed than she had moments earlier.

"Why are you doing this?" She managed to squeak out the question.

"Don't think anything of it… I'm as confused as you are." And with those words the two sat in silence enjoying the bath and, for once, each other's company.

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Breakfast came as usual with Ginny's boy crazy banter, and Harry and Ron's chatter about Quidditch and other such things, but there was something different this time. Hermione couldn't wrap her mind around the events of the night and the morning before breakfast. What was going on?

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"DRAKIE-POO!" The shrill voice came drifting across the table and the platinum blonde Slytherin boy glared in the direction of the noise. Why must she always be there? He tried as hard as he could to ignore the obsessive witch sitting across from him and continued his conversation with the other males within hearing distance.

"Yeah who would've thought for a mudblood she's got quite the body under those robes!" He chuckled and glanced at the Gryffindor head girl who, as usual, was sitting with the boy-who-just-won't-die and his two ketchup headed apostles. He turned his head back to his own table when he realized Pansy's whining had ceased, and he could almost feel the daggers shooting from her eyes. Nonchalantly he rolled his own eyes and ate the rest of his meal in silence.

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A/N: Hey guys sorry I haven't updated in a while. Kinda lost faith in my own writing abilities. Anyway hope u liked it... I had a hard time ending this chapter. I have great ideas for how this story is gonna come out but I'm not sure how I'm gonna get them to work. )


	6. The Unforgiven

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. This is just for fun.

Authors Note: I told myself I wouldn't put an authors note at the beginning of a chapter but I feel like I owe you guys an apology for keeping this story stagnant for so long. I have to admit I've had this chapter written for... probably at least a year... I have no idea when the last time I posted was. But I wrote two more chapters so you'll at least get to read this one and chapter 7 today. Hopefully I still have fans, or maybe I'll find some new ones. Sorry again guys. Here's chapter 6.

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It had been weeks since the last time Draco Malfoy had been awoken in the middle of the night by the irritating screaming Gryffindor down the hall. He had almost forgotten about that pesky recurring nightmare she'd been having, and he was just starting to get into a routine of having wonderful sleep all night long too. But that stupid girl just had to call the suppressed dream forward and this time, apparently, she meant business. The last time she had the dream he heard only a few minutes of muffled screams. But tonight the first scream was loud enough to wake Draco up, and send him running to the door only to trip over his sheets which were still covering him.

"This has to stop," he fumed inwardly after a few minutes of deliriously trying to untangle himself from the sheets. "What the bloody hell is wrong with that woman?"

Sounds of thrashing and fighting began to invade his ears along with those horrible screams. "Granger had better be fighting bloody Voldemort in there or Merlin's name…" He stormed out of his room and down the hall, the noise growing louder and louder with each step. He tried the handle of the door to her room, found it to be locked, and turned away, not really caring that he could unlock the door with a simple wave of his wand. He didn't really want to know what was going on in there, and whatever it was, he couldn't do anything about it if the door was locked. But when the word "HELP!" screeched to his ears, he instantly forgot his indifference.

"ALOHOMORA!" The door swung open to reveal Hermione Granger, kicking, screaming, and fighting her blankets. "A nightmare," Draco thought angrily, "she's having a bloody nightmare." Without thinking, he walked over to the girl and placed his hand on hers.

Hermione's eyes shot open instantly and she gasped for breath before realizing that Draco Malfoy was sitting next to her bed holding her hand.

"What on Earth are you doing in my room!!!!" Draco jumped when he heard this but regained his composure just as quickly and looked her in the eye.

"You have got serious problems Granger. For the sake of my sleeping habits you should go see Madam Pomfrey." He couldn't help but feel like he may have sounded a bit worried for her.

"You're so conceited Malfoy!" Hermione spat.

"Now is that any way to talk to the man who rescued you?"

"Rescue me from what you prat! I didn't need rescuing so mind your own business!"

"Maybe not, but my ears did. Anyway you might as well stay up now, wouldn't want little miss perfect to sleep through class now would we?" He was right, they both would have gotten up in an hour anyway. So he left her room without another word.

Hermione started downstairs to the common room. She decided she should get some studying in before class since she was up early anyway. She sat down on one of the sofas in front of the fireplace and just as she was about to open her book something flickered in the corner of her eye. She looked up at the big silver wall hanging above the fireplace and noticed that it was scratched. There were small but deep scratches all over the piece of silver.

"That's vandalism you know," she called to Malfoy who had just come out of his room.

"What are you talking about Granger?" All Hermione did was point. "I didn't do that, but if you ask me it looks better that way." Draco sunk himself into the sofa opposite Hermione's.

"What happens in those dreams of yours?" He hadn't even realized he'd asked.

"I don't really want to talk about it. Least of all with you," Hermione said.

"Fine, I just thought maybe I could help if I knew what was wrong," again Draco spoke without thinking, but quickly caught himself, "but why should I help you anyway mudblood."

"If it keeps _you_ up at night why would I want help?" And with that Hermione left the head's common room and went to breakfast.

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"I had that dream again Ginny, only this time Malfoy woke me up."

"Hermione I still wish you'd tell me what it was about." Ginny was getting worried about her friend. She seemed different lately, especially around Harry and Ron, and she wouldn't tell anyone what happened in her nightmare. They had to practically pry the fact that it was a nightmare out of her.

"That's not the point Ginny, I woke up and he was holding my hand."

"Maybe he was worried, maybe the Slytherin prince has feelings after all, or maybe he just likes watching you sleep," Ginny said with a smirk.

Harry and Ron sat down at the table across from the two girls, ending their conversation.

"Hey Ginny, Hey Hermione," Harry said, while piling food onto his plate, "are you alright you look a little tired."

"She's fine Harry, she just had a minor run-in with the Ferret-boy," Ginny chimed in, and then turned back to Hermione. "So, gotten anymore of those letters?"

"No, actually I almost forgot about them, it's been so hectic lately. I guess "D" forgot about me."

"She's driving me nuts Blaise!" Draco explained.

"What happened this time?"

"Same thing… that stupid nightmare again. She was screaming louder this time and actually called for help. I wish she'd tell someone what was going on… she needs help."

"You're not going soft on me are you?" Blaise teased.

"NO WAY! You're disgusting." Draco stole a quick glance at Hermione, hoping no one would notice.

"I saw that," Blaise said as he narrowed his eyes at his friend, "looks to me like you're actually worried about her."

"No, I'm kind of curious though, what kind of a dream would scare her that much?" The boys continued their conversation not noticing that Pansy Parkinson was listening to the whole thing. She ate her breakfast in silence, glaring daggers at the nasty mudblood Gryffindor.

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Author's Note: Please read and review, again this is my first fanfic, I'm a bit distracted sometimes so it seems to take a while to post for me so be patient too. Don't worry about being to nicey-nice either I can take what you can dish out so have at it. Also can anyone tell me if Blaise is actually a real character in Harry Potter or if someone made him up... cause well... I haven't read the books and I have no idea. All for now :)


	7. More Confrontations

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, nor will I ever.

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Pansy Parkinson, the pug-faced Slytherin princess, snickered to herself as she wove her wand to unlock the door to the potions room. She had spent months working on this prank and no one was the wiser. All she needed were a few special ingredients which, luckily for her, were kept locked up in the hidden closet in the potions classroom. Soon she'd finally let her fellow Slytherins know she had enough brains to pull off something great.

Hermione,

Our time draws near my friend.

D.

Hermione looked at the scantily worded letter her owl friend Charlemagne had delivered earlier that morning with mild indifference. She didn't even care to reply to this one. She was too busy with studying, class and trying to avoid Draco to worry about a silly little thing like a secret admirer. Least of all one who'd led her on for months without as much as a second letter to his or her name. Undoubtedly Draco was a much bigger distraction than these letters lately. Almost every morning he would wait in the common room for her to wake up so he could bug her to share her nightmare with him. It only freaked her out more that he wanted to know. How could he possibly be of any help? Her desire to avoid him had become so great that she had actually gone into the room of requirement and found a passage that let her avoid the common room altogether. Today, however, would be different.

Draco was smarter than that Gryffindor nerd thought he was. Hermione had fallen into a routine before her classes which consisted of her waking, taking a shower or bath and getting dressed and ready, and escaping through her oh-so-clever secret passageway. But Draco had become determined to apprehend her somehow. Once he put his mind to something it was not so easily dismissed, so he decided that he would simply have to catch her in the bathroom.

Hermione was soaked from head to toe and had just wrapped her towel around her body when the door on Draco's side of the bathroom swung wide open and the Slytherin prince marched his way in. She wanted to sink down into the floorboards. She couldn't believe it… she even got up early in order to avoid this! Thank goodness the two showers had doors so she could attempt to hide.

"Accio Hermione's bathing suit." Draco called, and once again the familiar brown one-piece flew into the bathroom from Hermione's door. He tossed it over the door of the shower Granger was hidden in and plopped himself down into the tub. "If we have to be living together, the least we can do is talk."

She hurriedly scrambled into the swimsuit and quickly made for her bedroom. Draco said a few simple words and by the time Hermione got to her door she was unable to open it.

"What do you want Malfoy?"

"That's simple, Hermione, I want you to get in the tub and I want you to tell me what your nightmare was about." She obliged by getting in the tub but declined once again to tell him about the dream.

"Why do you care?"

"I don't…" Draco replied adding the word "know" very softly at the end.

"I don't want to tell you, but I appreciate you trying to help for once. You can't make this dream go away and it has nothing to do with you, as I'm sure you're disappointed to know."

"Well if that's how you're going to be… you should see Madame Pomfrey anyway…" He started to stand when Hermione began speaking again.

"Why did you call me Hermione?"

"That's your name isn't it?" He asked with a sarcastic smirk on his face as he exited the tub and the bathroom leaving a very confused Hermione behind.

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Females never look good when they're crying. Tonight however this girl, shivering in Draco's arms, looked absolutely beautiful. He could feel his heart warming and breaking at the same time. Something awful had happened to her and he was the only one who could help. She was perfect though, no matter what. Draco stroked the long wavy hair of the girl whose face was buried in his shoulder. The feel of the soft hair and her breath on his neck made him feel butterflies everywhere. He was definitely not used to that feeling but he liked it. When her sobbing slowed he closed his eyes, drew her face up cupping her chin gently in his palm, and he kissed her tenderly. She held herself tighter to him as if she never wanted to let go. Finally he opened his eyes and saw the beauty he held in his arms for what felt like the first time. Hermione Granger. She looked like an angel, and kissed like a goddess. He enjoyed it, which was probably what scared him the most.

Hermione woke up quickly when she heard the loud scream coming from across the hall. She cautiously walked toward the door. "If something's frightening Dra… err… Malfoy… it must be awful," she thought as she went to turn the door. A loud bang followed by the sound of running water came from the bathroom. Hermione opened up the bathroom door and walked over to Draco who was washing his face with cold water from the sink.

"What happened?" was all she could say.

"I had a… bad… dream…" Draco forced, quickly adding "not that it's any of your business Granger!"

"Give it a rest… you ask about my dreams all the time," She added hotly.

"Look… I really do not want to discuss this… it's a bit… awkward." He looked at her for the first time that morning and inwardly breathed a sigh of relief that he still found her vile.

"Fine, but maybe _you_ should see Madam Pomfrey." Hermione was beginning to like the touch of wit that seemed to be rubbing off on her. She left the stunned Slytherin to himself as she went to her room to dress for class.

Later that evening, Hermione readied herself for her rounds, which always seemed like awkward forced dates with that git Malfoy. They almost never spoke, except for the occasional insult thrown back and forth. To be honest Hermione found the rounds to be more the norm than the conversations that seemed to happen some mornings in her dormitory, forgetting the fact that those conversations were slightly less painful to deal with.

The two had walked around the halls of the castle for about an hour in silence, there hadn't even been a student around to chastise, when Hermione glanced to her side and noticed a pained expression had replaced the usual bored one of the boy she was forced to work with.

"What in Godrick Gryffindor's name are you in such a fuss over?" She asked, trying not to scoff when he rolled his eyes at the mention of her houses founder.

"Look, Granger, It pains me to say this to you… You being a mudblood and all, and considering I am a Malfoy and I have no business even being around the likes of you let alone having a civilized conversa…"

"Get on with it you good-for-nothing prat!" Hermione interrupted, only to be glared at before Draco continued.

"As I was saying, I have no business having a civilized conversation with your kind, but since we were forced to work together, and since I am forced to lose sleep over your incessant nightmares I have to admit…" Draco trailed off.

"WHAT!?" Hermione spat, which earned her another glare from her Slytherin classmate, who then cleared his throat.

"I have to admit that I am becoming a bit worried about you." When he noticed the confusion on her face he added, "but I only say 'worried' because I am at a loss for a better word right now… concerned… no… irritated by is better, there." He smirked, because he hoped she didn't notice that he actually seemed to care.

"Oh of course and I didn't have to put up with your little night terror this morning." She teased. Hermione had become more amused than angry.

"Fine but when it comes true don't come to me for help."

And with that the two walked again in silence until their rounds were over.

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Author's Note: Hello again, as I promised 2 chapters today since I waited like forever to put any up. Again, read and review or whatever you like. I like reviews just as much as the next person. kk, can't think of anything else to write here, if you come up with any errors please let me know and I'll be happy to fix them. Next chapter is already mostly written and will be up soon I promise. Oh and the story needs a new title desperately, but maybe I'll wait till it's done to rename it, what do you think?


	8. Nightmares

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and I sincerely hope J.K. Rowling doesn't decide to sue me.

A/N: Attn!! I know I say I can take what you guys can dish out. And yes I can. I throroughly expect to get some flames after this chapter. I just want to let you all know that this chapter includes violent sexual activities (rape). If you don't like this then stop reading my story. I tried to make it the least graphic I could and I hope some of you were expecting it. I hope I don't lose many fans (if I have any to begin with) and I also hope I don't end up with this story deleted or something. Now here's chapter 8.

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Hermione,

I apologize for alarming you. I have not been myself recently. I hope you will still agree to meet me, as I have looked forward to getting to know you for quite some time. I will be waiting outside by the lake tonight at eight. If you wish, meet me there. 

D.

She folded the letter, not bothering to write anymore. She would meet her secret friend out by the lake at 8. 

At dinner Pansy Parkinson was nowhere to be found. Which Draco of course thought was a blessing considering he was in no mood to talk to anyone. But at Hogwarts you have to pay attention to the senses you possess other than your vision. Pansy waited by the Gryffindor table right where Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermioninny usually sat. Nobody could see her of course because she had taken an invisibility potion, which made her and everything she had with her at the time of consumption turn invisible. The fact that she made the potion herself would be enough to impress most of the Slytherins, but she wanted revenge. Something was going on with that disgusting woman and she would not lose her man over it. She was determined. So as Harry, Ron, and Ginny poured their drinks, Pansy added a little extra ingredient to the mix. 

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At 7:50pm Draco watched casually as Hermione left the common room. He assumed she was going to the library, but then he got a strange feeling. She had been sitting in front of the fire staring at a small piece of parchment for hours. What was she doing? Just then he noticed that the parchment was lying on the floor near the sofa. She must have dropped it accidentally before she left. Carefully he sauntered over to the sofa and bent to pick up the parchment. The words on the page were very carefully written but he'd recognize that hasty signature anywhere. He decided to follow her. 

Hermione stood outside by the lake. She was shivering, it was winter, but it was too warm for snow. She wrapped her sweater around her tighter in an attempt to stay warm. A voice began to speak to her from the shadows. 

"Hermione. You're here." The voice didn't sound familiar at all. Hermione was becoming a bit frightened. "Why don't you come closer so I can see your magnificent face?" It was deeper than she expected. She took a step back, followed by another. And soon she was running for the castle. 

A shrill laugh penetrated the darkness as Hermione disappeared through a door she'd never entered before. This plan was working perfectly. 

Hermione ran through the halls. They looked slimy but she didn't take the time to look at the walls or even to figure out that she was running right past the Slytherin common room. She found another door and threw herself through it as quickly as she could. Soon she found herself running outside again. She ran onto the Quidditch field and she saw Harry and Ron on their brooms. 

"HARRY! RON!" she shouted at them. They seemed to hear her but didn't go to her like she'd hoped. 

"Hermione! What's wrong?!" Ginny ran to Hermione and began rubbing her back. Hermione explained that meeting D. was a bad idea and recounted the details of the evening. "Its okay guys, come down," Ginny then called to the two boys. "I think you should probably sit down, you might start to feel better." 

Hermione sat on the ground and Ginny began playing with her hair as the boys came down to meet them.

Draco tried to follow Hermione without anyone seeing him, but the damn girl had to run right past the Slytherins. Crabbe and Goyle just _had_ to stop him. 

"Guys I have to go do… Head Boy things I can't talk right now," he tried but they managed to hold him up for about fifteen minutes before Blaise came out of the common room. 

"Crabbe, Goyle, could you two come in here I have something you need to see." Blaise sensed the hurriedness his friend had about him and distracted the two morons just long enough for Draco to say "I owe you one," and make his escape. Luckily he'd seen which door Hermione had run through. He pushed through the door and made his way quickly to the Quidditch field.

When Harry and Ron got to the girls Ginny reached in front of Hermione and held both of her hands in hers as the Head Girl told her friends what happened. The boys leant down and began to comfort her with hugs and soft words. Hermione started to get a sense of apprehension again. "Since when do they know what to say to comfort someone?" Her brain was working overdrive and she didn't know what to do. She sat, frozen in place as her friends tried to make her feel better. 

Ginny suddenly pulled Hermione's hands behind her back and held them tightly in the same instant that Harry shoved his wand under the waist of her jeans and pulled so hard he ripped them. Ron then grabbed at the jeans and ripped them off the rest of the way. Their eyes were black, she couldn't see emotion in them and now she knew what was happening and opened her mouth to scream. The sound of her scream was muffled. She had something forced into her mouth so quickly she didn't know what to do. She felt like she was choking. This was horrible! Why would her friends do this to her?! Why would Ginny help?! Ginny sat behind her nibbling on her ears and her neck as if this were a pleasurable experience. Then she felt the pain between her legs. Harry had forced her thighs apart and thrust into her so violently she could feel herself beginning to bleed. Ron held her head steady like a vice would as the two boys pounded away at her. She was crying but couldn't make a sound. She gagged but no vomit would come out, that would've helped her a bit. That's what she thought at least. With each violent thrust from either of the boys she could feel pain shooting through her whole body. She could do nothing but cry and wait for this to end.

"HERMIONE!" she heard the voice cut through the pain, the agony, and misery.

Draco Malfoy got to the field just in time to be too late. He saw the redheads and Merlin's-Gift-to-Wizardry finish violating the Head Girl and pull away zipping up their trousers. Normally he would have though this would be a good experience for the girl, her three best friends all sharing the intimacies of sex with her. But when he saw the tears streaming down her face and the blood on the ground he realized that this was what her nightmares were about and he had to do something. 

Draco landed what quite possibly could've been the hardest kick he'd ever kicked right in Harry Potter's ribs. The three offenders immediately left their victim and went after the Slytherin Prince. 

Hermione pulled herself off the ground and hobbled, then ran as fast as she could to get away from those horrible creatures. 

Somehow Draco seemed to have much more strength than usual. He managed to fight his three enemies and knock them out cold in a matter of minutes, using nothing but his bare hands. Once he got them off of him, he ran with amazing speed to the only place Hermione could be.

The bathroom door slowly creaked open and Draco walked in to a running shower with the door shut and the huddled shape of a girl on the floor behind it. He knocked on the shower door but got no reply. 

"Hermione, I'm sorry." He made no effort to disguise his sincerity. "Nobody deserves that… not even the lowest scum of the earth." He continued to talk to her through the shower door for quite some time, saying anything he could think of that might get her to speak. Finally he saw her arm reach up and unlock the door. He stood up from the position he'd taken seated on the floor and pulled the door open. He reached in and turned off the water, then knelt down next to the sobbing girl and put his arms around her. She buried her face in his neck and his heart began to break. With one hand he raised his wand and called for a towel from his room, which he wrapped around Hermione's shoulders. "Hermione…" he said, "I promise you I'll make this better." There were no words left for him to say. He sat with her for a while running his hands through her hair in an effort to soothe her. He had seen this sort of thing happen to his mother and he knew how much it affected the older woman, to think that someone would do this to someone so young only made him hate her friends more and more. Those good for nothing pricks would pay for this. He didn't care that she was a mudblood anymore, they would pay. And so would that bitch Pansy.

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A/N: ok all. I hope you enjoyed that. Flame on flamers. I have been flirting with the idea of re-writing this story. I have a lot of ideas to make it better but I'm going to finish it first. I'll probably end up posting it somewhere else. I also have an idea to write a Hermione/Theodore Nott fic since I just absolutely love Nott now thanks to AkashaTheKitty, and her fic The Bracelet. You should all read it. Well again review or flame or whatever. I'll be back soon.


	9. In the Eye of Storm

A/N: So it's been a while again, I do have some chapters written so I'll post these up pretty soon. What do you guys think of the length of the chapters? They're looking pretty short to me. I'll try to lengthen them some. Here's chapter 9.

Disclaimer: again, I don't own Harry Potter and I am not making a profit from this story.

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Draco saw what happened. He even felt a momentary spark of compassion, but for the most part his attitude remained unchanged. He understood perfectly well that Hermione was very near the point of being suicidal, but he still had no inclination of being nice to her. He decided they'd both be better off if he generally just left her alone. What did change though was that now he had a valid reason to despise Potter and his Carrot-top pals. And he really did loathe them.

In Draco Malfoys opinion, anyone who would participate in raping another human being, no matter how unpure their blood may be, deserved to be tortured for the rest of a very long life. That is exactly what Draco himself planned to undertake, just as soon as he was out from under the watchful eyes of Dumbledore. Although, how the old man missed the atrocities that occurred out on the Quidditch Pitch that night left him considerably baffled. So for now Draco went on with his life as usual, with the only exception being that the Mudblood stayed in her room so he did not have to deal with her.

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Professor Snape marched into the dreary classroom and stood stiff as stone at the front, his eyes scanning the room carefully before he spoke.

"If anyone knows why Granger has been missing from class I advise you speak up, lest you suffer some form of punishment." He finished his sentence and waited rather impatiently for a response which didn't come. Again he spoke, this time to call the names of students he thought would have an idea, but when they just shook their heads he stated that anyone found having knowledge of her whereabouts who did not step forward would receive corrective action. After another moment Severus Snape turned around and began his class.

Just before the students left the classroom, Snape strode to the seat in which Draco Malfoy had been sitting. "Mr. Malfoy would you mind staying behind for a moment," though it was not a question. Snape had figured Draco would know something. "I saw how you looked at Potter and Weasley when class began. A bit more harsh than usual I should say. Is there something I should know?"

"No Sir." Draco answered softly.

"Miss Granger shares a wing with you, have you any idea why she has been missing her classes?

"Only that she wasn't feeling well. Don't ask me what's wrong with her, we don't talk." He half lied.

"Are you sure?" Snape was convinced the boy had some idea, and continued his prodding.

"Yes Sir, all I know is she locked herself in her room. I haven't even seen her come out in a few days."

"Well then," Snape conceded, "I'm sure she'd be bitterly disappointed if we didn't send her assignments to her. Shall I call Potter back?"

"No Sir, I'll take them." Draco was perhaps a bit hasty with his answer, which made the professor raise an eyebrow.

"Very well, Mr. Malfoy, and I expect you'll report any information you obtain?"

"Of course Sir." Snape turned to a pile of books and gestured for Draco to take them with him. The boy obliged and hurried back to his dormitory before Snape could ask any more questions.

Once back in the dorm, Draco climbed the spiral staircase which led from the common room to the bed chambers and set the pile of books in front of Hermione's room. He knocked on the door to get the girls attention but before she responded there was a knock at the portrait door to the common room, and Draco reluctantly went to see who it was.

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Hermione felt like hell. For the first time in her educational career she did not feel much like going to class. In all actuality she felt more like locking herself in her room. So for the next two days after the incident, that is exactly what she did. She crawled into her bed and lay there staring up at the ceiling for hours, and if she did sleep, it was not a restful sleep. She was just getting to the point that she was beginning to feel less sick to her stomach with every breath, and more like she could venture downstairs to grab a sandwich when she heard a knock at her door. The knock was quick and she heard footsteps leading away immediately afterwards. Just to be sure she wouldn't run into the Demon Child Draco, she waited for several moments before slowly opening the door to go get some food.

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A/N: Again, sorry for the wait. Posting more than one this time so hope you enjoy. Review please, it reminds me to keep posting =)


	10. Fury

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.

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Down in the common room, Draco had opened up the portrait to see who had knocked; having no doubt it was probably just some student coming to cry about his or her stupid problems. But instead he stood face to face with none other than the Weaselette. Ginny Weasley. He glared at her and through gritted teeth he hissed.

"What do you want?"

"Get out of my way Malfoy, I need to see Hermione." Ginny spat out.

"No." Draco decided that the filthy beast standing before him did not deserve any more of a response than was actually necessary. He would not let her in and that's all she needed to know. Ginny would have been flabbergasted if she were talking to anyone else.

"Malfoy, move."

"No, Get out."

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Hermione opened the door and saw a pile of books on the floor. Who would study at a time like this? Well, maybe it would take her mind of things. She bent to pick up the books and caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Slowly she turned her head and saw a rigid, furious looking Draco standing in front of the open portrait hole. She could hear his voice, low and harsh but could make out none of the words.

At first she thought Draco had lost it like everyone else and was arguing with the portrait itself, but she decided to take a few steps away from the door to see if that was truly the case. She walked over to the staircase and saw to her dismay one of the only other people she'd rather die than look at again, her former best friend, Ginny Weasley. Hermione stood rooted to the floor, tears streaming down her cheeks, watching her ex-best friend and the boy who made her life a living hell for more than six years argue back and forth. Ginny was trying to get in, she could tell that much. What Hermione couldn't understand was both why Ginny would even try, and why Draco was so angy about it.

"She won't see you even if I let you in!" Draco was livid and Ginny could see it. His fists were clenched and he looked truly close to killing her with his bare hands but that didn't stop her.

"You don't know that, you arrogant prat! I'm her best friend!" Draco's tension visibly eased, which was not even close to a good sign. He stopped looking angry but did not look any happier. He threw back his hand, gesturing at the crying woman at the top of the stairs.

"Yeah? See for yourself!" Ginny looked up at the balcony where Hermione stood and started to say something to her. Hermione's eyes widened and she ran back into her bedroom and slammed the door. Ginny immediately darted to chase after her, but Draco whipped around and grabbed her wrist. She twisted to try and escape his hold but he was too strong, there was no way he was letting that girl up to torture Granger anymore. The last thing he needed was more drama from his dorm-mate, and Ginny had caused enough already that day.

"Weasley leave. Now. And don't ever think of bothering Granger again."

"What did you do Malfoy? Let me go!" She was still struggling to be free of his grasp. The boy pulled at her arm and slammed her against the island counter that separated the kitchen area from the living area of the common room.

"Listen. You are Filth. You don't deserve to be let go with your life, but I have no choice. So go, and leave Granger alone." And with another twist of the arm he flung the girl toward the portrait hole and she landed on her hands and knees just outside the door, which slammed after her with great force.

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A/N: Draco's mad. Another chapter coming tonight. With the length of these chapters I have got quite a few written so I promise I'll crank them out within the next few days. Definately will be updating soon but I will add another chapter tonight so please review!


	11. The Heat

Disclaimer: The author of this story owns nothing but the plot.

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"Great." Draco paced the floor of the common room in front of the fireplace. "What now…" He was contemplating checking on Hermione but he still did not want to deal with a crying girl right now.

For the first time since Hermione had scolded him for vandalizing the mirror above the mantle Draco looked up and saw it there. The scratches on the silver had become more prominent, and they had begun to take the shape of something. He studied it carefully and realized it was an etching of a man and a woman. It looked like a lovely scene from what Draco could see, man and woman seated in a loving embrace. Not a scene that happened in the real world.

The figures in the scene looked extremely familiar but he just couldn't put his finger on who they were. "They're probably just some over idealized characters… Who on Earth is carving this?" The question suddenly came to him. He hadn't even thought about it before, and surely neither had his dorm-mate; she thought he was the one doing it. He even pondered if she noticed the image. In wonder, Draco reached up and touched his fingers to the face of the woman and immediately it seemed like the etches began to glow under his touch. Suddenly the silver grew very hot and burned the tips of his fingers. He recoiled from the slight pain.

A scream rang out clearly from the head girl's bedroom, and Draco sprang, forgetting himself, toward the bedroom and reached the top of the stairs just as Hermione ran from the room. She did not see him but luckily he saw her coming, put out his arms and caught her before she fell straight down the stairs. She screamed again.

"Hermione calm down I'm not going to hurt you."

"NO! Get off me!"

"Calm down first," he tired to soothe.

"Let Go!" He let go of her and she bucked away and nearly fell down the stairs, but he caught her by the wrist and pulled her back up again.

"You see, calm down and you'll be okay. Why did you scream?" She just glared at him. He was persistent. "Why did you scream?" She turned her head in a show of defiance but remained silent. "What happened?" A small gasp escaped Draco's lips making the girl look at him worriedly. He led her into the bathroom and showed her the mirror. "What happened?" He asked her once again.

"I don't know, I was asleep… it felt like someone burned me"

"Looks that way too, are you alright?"

"Not perfect by any means, but I'm okay I guess…" She gave a quick thought to Draco's sudden interest in her well being but quickly dismissed it. "Thank you for stopping her before." Draco had begun to help her clean off her burn. She healed it for herself, but it was still visible so he cast a concealing charm on her cheek.

"It wasn't really anything special. I don't want anymore drama here."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't ever say that!" Draco sternly reprimanded. She looked sharply at him, surprised that he would say that. "It wasn't your fault. I don't want filth like that slut in my presence. Don't blame yourself." She looked at him and gave a tired smile. They both left the bathroom and went down to sit in the common room. "Well Granger, I don't know about you but I'm famished. This is probably the first and last time this will happen, but would you like something to eat?" Hermione nodded and gave him the tired smile again. Draco went to the kitchen and began making sandwiches for the two of them.

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A/N: Well it's getting late and I'm sick of typing but here it is as promised chapter 11. Chapter 11 added in the 11th month, 11/11 make a wish!


	12. Speculation

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter

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Out of the corner of her eye Hermione saw something faintly glowing on the wall. She turned to look and let out a gasp. She hadn't bothered to look at the silver wall hanging lately so she hadn't noticed the etching on its surface. The carved lines in the metal appeared to be glowing, radiating out with the brightest point being on the cheek of a carved female. The lines at that point appeared to be red hot. She reached up her hand and gingerly touched her cheek. She seemed to be in a trance-like state so she was startled when Draco placed the dish with her sandwich on the coffee table in front of her and let out a gasp.

"It's just a sandwich Granger. It can't hurt you if you remember to chew it," Draco snarkily teased her. She again gave him a tired smile and sat down on the sofa to eat her sandwich. For a long time Draco sat across from each other silently chewing their food. Despite her hunger, however, Hermione did not finish eating before Draco did and the latter sat quietly watching the former until she had finished her meal. When she had finished, he spoke to her in a low voice.

"So, Snape asked me to bring your assignments."

"Oh…" Was all Hermione could think to say.

"He asked why you weren't in class." Hermione's eyes widened in shock and fear that Draco told him what happened. "Nobody answered him when he asked but I think he got the feeling that I knew." Hermione looked relieved when she heard that.

"What did you tell him?"

"Just that you weren't feeling well and you had locked yourself in your room. I have a feeling he knows I kept something from him though." His voice was very soft when he said the last part, almost as if he was hoping she couldn't hear it.

"Oh…" Hermione replied, and after a long pause added, "I can't face them."

"I know, but you'll have to find a way to finish your classes, maybe someone can get them expelled." She said nothing and they sat in silence for a long while before they both excused themselves for bed.

The following morning during the breakfast feast Pansy Parkinson noticed, rather loudly I might add, that Hermione Granger was not only missing from the group of Potter and his pals but she was nowhere to be found, nor had she been for several days.

"I wonder what gives..." She babbled on to anyone who would listen, but mostly to Zabini who happened to be the only person who was truly listening, and to Draco who was really the only person she wanted to tell.

"Why do the lot of you concern yourselves with the business of others so publicly like this? It completely baffles me that you bother yourselves with such trivial nonsense." It was Theodore Nott who had spoken. He had begun making himself present among Draco and his gang sporadically since the beginning of sixth year and of cours had been sitting within earshot of Pansy's voice that morning. Draco had his head down on the table but looked up after Nott finished speaking.

"Yeah, Parkinson why do you care?" He knew perfectly well, though, why she was bringing it up and couldn't help but send her a venomous glare as he spoke.

"Because, Drakie-Poo," She said in that grating voice of hers, ignoring his glare and taking this opportunity to plant herself on him like ivy, "its interesting, she's always there, and she's been missing class lately too. Don't you find that a bit strange?"

"Actually she does bring up an interesting point; Granger has not been in class, which is remarkably unlike her. Whatever the reason, it must be serious and that probably means it's rather personal." He said this hoping it would convince the others to leave well enough alone for once.

"In that case wouldn't Potter and the Weasels know something about it then?" Blaise added to the conversation, ignoring Nott's attempt to end it. "The seemed totally clueless…"

"No, you're right, they know, they're just not admitting to it." Draco made no attempt to hide the disgust in his voice.

"How are you so positive they know where she is? You share a dorm with her, do you know what's going on as well?" Pansy's face showed both joy and apprehension after Blaise had said this, for a second she wondered if maybe Draco did know more thank he should. Why would he? That thought made her irritation level rise.

"Last I checked the two of them haven't really been on speaking terms, Blaise, so I can't imagine why Draco would suddenly set aside their differences to find out why the head girl missed class for a few days. And my guess is that she wouldn't tell him even if he did ask. As I said before it's most likely very personal so it is not our business to be speculating about it." Halfway through Theo's lecture Draco had put his head back down, but he lifted it just enough to be heard.

"Nott has a point, I don't want to hear anymore about Granger, Potter or the Weasels. Talk about something of substance Pansy or I'm leaving."

"Might as well go anyway mate, potions starts soon," Blaise said and they excused themselves for class.

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A/N: Late for class but I updated anyway. Please review!


	13. Make Like A Tree

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter.

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At the dinner feast that evening Hermione still had not shown up, and for some reason, the normally friendly Gryffindors were surprisingly keeping their distance. In fact most of them looked as if they'd rather sit with the Slytherins than with Harry and his friends.

"I'm really worried about Hermione, Harry. She was really upset when I went to see her yesterday but that Git Malfoy wouldn't let me in."

"Gin, I'm worried too, we'll all go find out what's wrong after we eat."

Harry managed to reassure her with this but before she could answer, Ron chimed in with a seemingly unrelated observation.

"Why is everyone treating us like we'll suck out their eyeballs through a straw?"

"Ron!" Ginny exclaimed before the realization dawned on her that he was right.

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"Well this is an interesting development." Blaise said while gesturing at the Gryffindor table. "Wonder what happened there."

"I heard a VERY interesting rumor today about the golden trio and the little weasel." Pansy interjected in her usual gossiping manner.

"Oh yeah? And what was that?" Blaise asked just as Draco sat down and began loading his plate with food. Pansy leaned in and dramatically began to tell Blaise in a loud whisper what she had heard.

"Well, I heard they all had a very nasty little romp out on the Quidditch Pitch the other night, if you know what I mean that is."

Draco slammed his fist down on the table and immediately stormed out of the Great Hall.

"What's wrong with him?" Blaise wondered aloud.

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Draco had commenced pacing the floor of his common room while he fumed over the words he had just heard out of Pansy's mouth. "That bitch. And they must be bragging about it too. Those worthless…" But his thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the portrait hole.

Harry, Ginny and Ron stood outside the Heads dorm waiting for someone to open up the portrait for them. As expected it was Draco who answered and they braced themselves for a battle.

"Evening Malfoy, may we come in to speak with Hermione?" Harry decided it best to be polite, at first anyway, and see if Draco would perhaps be civil enough to let them in.

"No" Apparently he would not be.

"Malfoy we're extremely sorry for bothering you but we need to speak with Hermione." Harry persisted.

"No"

"I know you don't like us but why won't you let us in?" Ron was trying extremely hard to let Harry do all the talking and Ginny was glaring.

"After what you vermin did, why should I?" Draco seemed fairly calm for how angry he felt. In fact he almost just felt exhausted from all of this. But when the three idiots in front of him just stood there with dumb looks on their faces he got irritated beyond belief and spat at them once again. "Please, like you didn't do anything wrong. Why on Earth would any self respecting human let alone wizard allow filth such as you to continue to prance around like you've never sinned?" They stared blankly at him again and he became livid and decided he'd have to spell it out for them. He gestured at the boys and continued. "You two," he decided to emphasize the words so they'd understand, "You Raped Granger. And You," gesturing at Ginny now, "Sat there and helped them do it!" He was furious. He wanted to kill them all with his bare hands.

At this Ron could barely suppress a laugh and chuckled, "Oh is that why nobody will come near us?"

"What in Merlin's name are you talking about Malfoy?" Harry asked terribly confused.

"Don't play dumb you Git! Of course that's why no one wants to be around you! Of course that's why I won't let trash like you in here! And of course that's why Hermione hasn't been out of her room in the last four days! She does not want to see you now leave us both alone!"

"You think we raped Hermione?" Ginny said in a small voice. She was so confused she couldn't even remember to be angry.

Draco was astonished. He couldn't believe he was having this conversation with these dimwits.

"I. Saw. You."

"What?!" Ron and Harry answered simultaneously.

"Did you not see my face out there?" Draco was livid. "I had to hold her for hours while she cried! You filthy low lives don't deserve to have any friends at all, and NOW I find out that one of you was bragging about it? You disgust me. Leave. And don't come back here EVER again." He once again slammed the portrait closed on the trio and resumed his pacing.

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Ginny was choking back tears and she couldn't believe what she just heard.

"Everyone thinks we raped Hermione?"

"Gin, it sounds like even Hermione herself thinks we did." Harry somberly replied.

"That bastard Malfoy's spreading rumors! There's no way Mione thinks that! He's probably holding her prisoner in there!" Ron shouted.

"Maybe… but somehow I don't think that's the case. And it doesn't seem like Malfoy's behind it for once. We need to find out what's really going on." Harry's voice drifted as he began to form a plan.

"Oh Harry, how?"

"Well, Gin… we'll have to use polyjuice since no one will speak to us now. And we can't solve this until we find out where this rumor got started."

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A/N: Here's chapter 13. I tried to make it a little longer. Review please. =^-^=


	14. Cliche

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, not making any money from this.

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Polyjuice potion takes a month to brew. Harry knew this when he had suggested it as a way to get information about what had really happened to Hermione and who started this rumor. Although he truly did not want to wait to reconcile with the girl he was worried so much about he thought that the time might be on their side. So in the meantime Harry and the two Weasleys began to ready their potion and came up with a plan for getting the information they needed.

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Hermione finally returned to class a week later, though she sat in a corner away from the rest of her Gryffindor classmates. She did not speak to her old friends. She did not even look at them and, seeing those efforts, they made no attempt to confront her. Draco had managed to get her to resume her rounds and they had been spending more time together than either would have preferred earlier in the year. Other than that things finally seemed to be getting back to normal… Well, as normal as can be expected.

Practical Necromancy was added to the curriculum for seventh year students the beginning of this year due to the idea that a technical knowledge of communicating with the dead might be helpful in the war. Despite her love of book learning, it was Hermione's least favorite class, next to Divination that is. She had to drag herself to the classes she actually liked now and saw no real reason, except for the fact that the head boy was practically shoving her out of the common room, why she should make an effort to continue attending such a horrible class which would probably not help her in the long run. She felt like a child with an overly cautious babysitter. In addition to the pointlessness of the material in the class the professor, Miss Sarah Lawley, had one of the most irritating cockney accents she had ever heard in her life. So, when old Miss Lawley announced in that grating voice of hers that there would again be a fancy ball for all the students Hermione glared enough daggers at Draco to send all the chefs in England out of the country for want of knives. Harry and Ron of course made some ugly sound of protest. To which Lawley countered by saying how she did not recall telling Harry that the scar on his head was a free pass to talk during her class. And that was the first time since her incident that Hermione actually felt like laughing. She cracked a tiny grin.

Sure enough there was going to be a ball held that year, and while Dumbledore had been slightly irritated that the new professor had announced it before he had a chance to let the head boy and girl in on it, he did confirm the announcement later that day and had stated that Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy would have the pleasure of planning and decorating. One of the worst parts of this whole ball idea was that it was to be held in exactly three weeks, which gave the children very little time to prepare. Thankfully there was a Hogsmeade trip planned for this weekend so at least they would have a chance to shop.

Hermione sat in her common room scrawling her thoughts into a little leather-bound book. She normally wasn't one to keep a diary but would usually write a page or two when she came upon stressful situations. She opted not to go to the dinner feast, which was one place Draco couldn't push her to go to. He sometimes was nice enough to bring back something, although he would never come out and say it was for her. She was satisfied enough though, the small kitchen area in the common room was stocked enough so that she would not starve if she needed something to eat. She had just finished writing down a rather poetic thought when the portrait swung open and Malfoy strode in and he made himself comfortable on the sofa across from her.

"Have you given any thought to the ball Granger? We should be getting a head start on it so we know what to buy this weekend."

"I'm not very good at that sort of thing Malfoy, you would probably be more suited to this than I would. I'm not really the partying type." Hermione did not really want to be bothered, and honestly didn't even want to think about the ball, except to think of ways to get out of it.

"That's certainly true," he sniggered, "but like it or not you're the head girl and I may need your help with this." He took some parchments out of one of his books and spread them out on the table in front to Hermione, gesturing as if asking for an opinion. She glanced at them quickly and began to go back to her writing, but something caught her eye and she took a closer look.

"You drew these?" She was astonished at the plans she saw in front of her. There were four different drawings of the ballroom with different themes and decorations. All of them were sparkling and beautiful. They had obviously been enchanted to move, but the detail was impeccable. She felt like she could jump right into any one of them. Her eyes moved up and met Draco's silvery ones and she noticed a slight blush on his cheeks.

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It was Saturday, which meant it was time for the Hogsmeade trip. The two had finally decided on a theme for the ball, and had agreed that they would split up the shopping for the decorations and supplies. Since it was Draco's idea he was to come up with a list of supplies for Hermione to find and was going to give it to her on the way to Hogsmeade. The carriages were all lined up and the students were filing into them, excited of course because most of them would be shopping for gowns and dress robes. Hermione stood next to the carriage which was to lead the group, with the Head boy and girl riding in it. Draco had forgotten the lists and had to run back to the dormitory to grab them.

A bubbly female voice called out to Hermione from a few feet away. "Hello Hermione, I expect you and the head boy have your work cut out for you with this ball don't you?"

"Yes, Luna," Hermione smiled, "I've never been one for fancy affairs and I'm certainly not meant for shopping."

"Well I feel the same way myself, but if you need any help I would be happy to. Truth is I have no idea what I'm going to wear and I could use a little help myself," The blonde girl laughed.

"Sure, I would really appreciate that actually, I would have been walking around alone otherwise. Would you like to ride with us?" Hermione asked gesturing to the carriage behind her.

"I'm sure she would, wouldn't you Lovegood?" Draco reached for the door and held it open for the two women to enter. Luna just smiled and followed Hermione into the carriage.

Once the three students were settled in their seats Hermione began speaking, "Luna offered to help me find some of the supplies we need, that's not a problem is it?"

"Of course not, the more the merrier." Draco pulled one of his trademark smirks and continued, "Blaise is going to help me find my share as well." With that he reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment, handing it to the Head girl in the seat across from him. At the bottom of the sheet there was an address and the words 'go here' written hastily. Hermione put the parchment in the pocket of her jacket. The rest of the ride to Hogsmeade went pleasantly and the students parted ways.

"Well he gave me an address to do the shopping, maybe we should start there." Hermione said to Luna, who nodded in agreement. The two girls walked along the rows of shops for a while noting down some shops that looked promising for both their gowns and the supplies in case the shop Draco suggested came up sparse. The shops seemed to grow further and further apart toward the end of the row and they finally came upon the address Draco had written down. "This can't be right, this is a clothing shop. We're not going to find supplies here." Hermione gazed confusedly at the name of the shop.

"Well we need to find gowns anyway, why don't we try this shop while we're here?" Luna suggested and they entered the shop.

There were a few older witches in the shop browsing the racks, but other than that it seemed rather empty. The shopkeeper could be seen bustling around toward the back of the shop. Hermione and Luna began looking at some of the racks toward the front of the shop. The gowns they could see seemed to be rather dingy and boring looking. The girls scanned the shop and exchanged glances. Hermione motioned to Luna and turned to leave when she heard the shopkeeper call out.

"Not so fast, girls!" He was a short man with wispy white hair in a patchy brown robe. "I think I might have just what you need." The man rushed to a rack toward the back of the store and began pulling plain looking gowns off the rack. Hermione rolled her eyes as he pulled gown after gown down and each of them looked more and more boring than the last. Finally he motioned for Luna to come toward him and he held up a beautiful dark blue gown up to show her. Luna's eyes lit up when she saw the gown. The man waved his wand and Luna had the dress on, it began tailoring itself to fit her form perfectly. Sheer golden fabric wrapped itself around her waist and golden flowers formed on it. He waved his wand again and a band of matching fabric wrapped itself around her neck while strings of blue and gold crystals dripped down it. When the gown was finally finished altering itself the shopkeeper waved his wand one more time and Luna was back in her clothes. The gown boxed itself up and the man went back to looking through the rack.

"Whoa Luna that dress is amazing, it's perfect for you!" Hermione was astonished.

"I know it's great, I'm glad we came in here. I hope he can find one for you." Luna was beaming. Before long the old man motioned for Hermione to come to him. She made a foul face at the dress he pulled off the rack but the man waved his wand anyway and Hermione could feel this dress altering itself for her. It seemed to take quite a while to finish. The shopkeeper walked into the back corner of the shop and picked up a dirty mirror. He cleaned off the mirror and held it up for Hermione just as the gown was completed and Hermione's jaw dropped. Another wave of his wand and the shopkeeper had this gown packed up for Hermione. The students paid him for the gowns and made their way out of the store. Before they left the old shopkeeper spoke one last time.

"You are lucky to have found my shop, not many witches know where to come for their perfect gowns. Enjoy your ball ladies!" He smiled and waved them out of the shop.

"When he showed you that gown I thought you were going to hex him on the spot!" Luna laughed, "Who would've thought that color would look so good on you." They continued to walk around Hogsmeade, joking and searching for the supplies Hermione was assigned for the ball.

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A/N: Hey guys, hope you liked this chapter. Haven't had much of a chance to write for a while. Hopefully I'll get another one up soon!


	15. Dear Diary

Disclaimer: Do not Own Harry Potter. nope nope

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Blaise and Draco walked through the streets of Hogsmeade looking for supplies for the ball, among other things. Most of the trip was accompanied by conversation of said ball and the plans the boys had for it.

"So, are you taking Pansy to the ball again?" Blaise asked.

"In the name of Salazar, no, I wouldn't dream of taking her." Draco visibly tensed at the thought of Pansy.

"Then who are you taking, Granger?" Blaise raised an eyebrow at his friend's blank expression, "You really seem to have warmed up to her lately."

"No, I am not taking Granger to the ball either Blaise. I actually planned on going stag on this one."

"But you will have to dance with her right? I mean you are head boy and girl after all. You know tradition and whatnot." Blaise was beginning to get the hang of the smirk, though by far not as well as any Malfoy.

"I don't care what traditions are in place, that old coot cannot force me to dance with her." Draco was beginning to become irritated by his friend's line of questioning.

"Seriously, though," Blaise began, his playful voice switching to honest curiosity, "Why have the two of you been civil lately?"

"It's simple enough to fight constantly with someone when you hardly ever see them," Draco half-lied, hoping his fellow Slytherin would buy it, "it's a different story when you live in close proximity and work with them every day. It's a lot harder to keep up the bickering and trust me; it does not help getting any work done." 'That and she's been through a lot and doesn't need the constant arguing anymore,' he continued in his head, only then realizing what he was thinking. He changed the subject quickly to the upcoming Quidditch match, making a mental note to purge all pleasant thoughts of Hermione Granger from his mind.

When the students arrived at Hogwarts most of them parted ways to go back to the dormitories. Pansy Parkinson finally caught a glimpse of Draco and headed after him.

"Drakie!" She screeched after him. When she finally caught up to him she continued. "Where were you? I was hoping we could buy matching outfits for the ball."

"Why would I do that?" Draco sounded more bored and annoyed than inquisitive.

"Because we're going together darling, we have to match." She said it matter-of-factly.

"I'm not going with you Pansy," was Draco's simple response. The girl started to protest but Draco cut her off. "I am not going to the ball with you, end of story." And with those words said he walked away, leaving Pansy half fuming, half tearing up.

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Sunday afternoon Hermione sat once again writing into her diary. She had written nearly every thought she could think of about the events of this year and the upcoming ball and was currently twisting her brain around a particularly difficult thought when she glanced down at her watch. The hands on the watch told her it was a quarter past three. She was late. While the girls were walking back to the carriages the day before, she and Luna had made plans to meet at the library to study today. Hermione hurriedly collected her things, dropping them into her bag and rushed out the door to meet her friend, not noticing that a small black book dropped from her bag on the way through the common room, landing open on the floor. A half hour after Hermione had left Draco came down the steps from his dorm and noticed the book at his feet. He stooped to pick it up and brought it to his eyes.

"And then there's Draco." The words on the page began, piquing Draco's interest in what the words had to say. "For years he has been nothing but cruel to me, to anyone I knew. Can't he see the things he says hurt people? I suppose he didn't care, but now… He saw what happened to me. Why didn't he desert me like everyone else? It doesn't make sense. Of course I can't ask him. I should have believed him when he asked about my dream. Maybe he knew, maybe he could have helped. But it happened and it was this tragic moment where I swore I would die any minute from the heartache, and all of a sudden there's Draco. And for some strange reason I feel like I can be alive again. I know I have to get up and keep going and even when it feels like I could bruise myself just by crawling he helps me stand and get past this. And it's working. It's strange but I'm starting to trust him, maybe someday I'll consider him a friend. I really do hope he's not as bad as I thought he was." The words on the page ended and Draco could feel his heart beating faster. 'She really thinks this?' he asked himself. And then he realized he did want to see her feel better. He truly believed that nobody deserved what had happened to her and that right now all he wanted was to try and make it up to her. He was in a lot of trouble.

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Harry, Ginny, and Ron had begun preparing their Polyjuice so that they could try and find out what had caused everyone to believe that they had done something so horrible to Hermione. As more and more of the students began shunning the trio, Harry became increasingly nervous that they might not have enough time to fix this problem with the potion. He was glad that Hermione still had a friend in Luna and that she was able to push this out of her mind enough to be able to laugh with the blonde Ravenclaw girl, but time was drawing thin for any chance of reconciliation, and the three students began to look for an alternate plan.

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Draco held on to the book in which Hermione's thoughts were written, hoping that he could somehow get it back to her without her noticing it was missing. Her words had touched something in him and he spent most of the afternoon trying to come up with a way to make her feel better, or at least let her know that she could trust him with this. A battle was brewing up inside of him. He had hated this girl for most of his childhood and adolescence so far, and now he was feeling something other than abhorrence for her. He wasn't sure whether to let the sympathy win or to fight it and continue on with the feelings he had grown up with. His family sure wouldn't approve of him feeling this way. He was so confused over the whole situation he hadn't even noticed he had begun writing down some of the phrases on that page in her diary. Staring at the words, distracted by his thoughts he unconsciously made the words he had written come off the page, rearranging themselves into what appeared to be a few lines from a poem. When he finally focused on the page and read the lines he immediately had a brilliant idea. He would have to get the book back to Hermione first though.

The door to the common room opened for Hermione and she walked in, collapsing down on the sofa. She had never thought that studying would be as exhausting as it was today, but Luna made it into a whole different situation altogether. She had dropped her bag at the end of the sofa and closed her eyes drifting into a peaceful nap. Draco had heard her come in and waited on the upper level for the right moment. When he realized Hermione was asleep he crept down the stairs and placed the black book inside her bag, then turned and stealthily returned to his room. Hermione woke not too long after with a curious look on her face. She reached for her bag and searched through its contents, pulling out a quill and her diary. Flipping to a new page she set the book and the wand down on the coffee table in front of her.

"I had a dream that I was a Dragon." Hermione began dictating her story to the enchanted quill as she gazed up at the silver wall-hanging above the mantle, noticing intriguingly that the man in the silver was beginning to look increasingly like Draco. "And my mother was teaching me to fly, but I was young and clumsy." The quill scratched the words down onto the paper in her diary as quickly as she said them. "She was teaching me on a cliff, but I flew too far and I fell, my wings wouldn't push me. I fell for ages through thick clouds all the time trying to flap my wings as hard as I could to slow my fall but it just didn't work. When I hit the ground I could feel pain in my wing and when I looked again it wasn't there. I was human, and my arm was broken. I could see a town not far off, and a man from the town rescued me. He protected me and would not let me out of his sight, and since I was not used to being human he had to teach me simple things like words. He made a sofa for me to sleep on, but I was frightened and I followed him into his room. He graciously allowed me to share his bed. We became so close, but when my arm was healed I had to return to the Dragons. Humans cannot see dragons because they do not believe in them, or at least that's how I believed it in my dream. So I had to convince him that we were real or he would never see me again."

"And did he believe?" Hermione jumped when she heard the Slytherin Head boy speaking. She glared at him, reaching for her book and slamming it shut before he could read more of her private thoughts. She turned to go but he spoke again. "Please, I didn't mean to intrude but I love stories about dragons."

"Yes, he believed," Hermione sighed.

"And what happened next?" Draco dared curiously.

"I flew back to the dragons and my mother saw that it pained me to leave him. She took me to a medicine man that had once been a dragon himself. He gave me sweet water to drink and I was a human again, so I returned to him."

"And you never learned his name?"

"No. No one said his name, but he was so familiar." Hermione tried to remember the man from her dream.

"Well it sounds like it was a nice dream. Don't take this the wrong way but I'm glad you're not having those nightmares anymore."

"I do still have them sometimes, but what can I do? They're memories now; all I can do is wake up and cry." She looked down at her feet as she said the last part, a tear running down her cheek. Seconds later she felt Draco's strong arms wrap around her and bring her face down to his chest. They stayed that way for what seemed like a very long time to Hermione and finally broke when she stepped back to look up at him. She had a puzzled expression on her face and opened her mouth about to ask why he was doing this but couldn't bring herself to. "Thank you" was what came out instead. "I'm going to bed." She then turned to leave and walked up the stairs toward her room.

"Goodnight." Draco said quietly and turned back toward the fire.

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A/N: Ok here's another chapter. This chapter sucked to write by the way. I had no idea how to tie everything together. But I managed to do it. Nobody checks these for me before I post them and I didn't want to do my usual leave it on my computer and read it later to see what mistakes I made, so if there's anything major that needs to be clarified or you think should be changed please don't hesitate to let me know. I look forward to your reviews =). Cassandrakitti


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